University of Nevada Las Vegas

Just the fifth baseball player elected to the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame, Eric Nielsen is a double-honoree as he was also a member of the 2003 UNLV team that will be inducted May 4. Nielsen signed with the Rebels out of Las Vegas' Silverado High School and became a three-year starter in the outfield before turning professional. He batted .356 as a freshman in 2002, an average that would prove to be his lowest as a collegian. In 2003 he led the team with a .365 average while helping the highly ranked Rebels to a regular-season Mountain West title and 47 total victories. Nielsen would go on to be named to the all-tournament teams at the conference event in Albuquerque and the NCAA Tempe Regional, the latter of which included a 4-for-5 day at the plate vs. Central Connecticut State. His junior year in 2004 was one for the record books as the team captain became the first player in conference history to win the Triple Crown, leading all players in average, home runs and runs batted in both league play and overall. The Mountain West Player of the Year also finished first in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored and total bases. He is the only Rebel in history to reach triple figures in hits in a year as his 101 led to an eye-popping .402 batting average. His 87 RBIs still rank second in MW single-season history and his 16 homers that spring led to what is still a conference-best 84 runs scored. Nielsen led his squad to a second consecutive MW Tournament crown and a return trip the NCAAs while he became the eighth - and most recent Rebel - to be named to an All-America First Team (Louisville Slugger All-American by Collegiate Baseball News). Nielsen's .376 career batting average is second in Rebel history while he is the school and league record holder for hit by pitch in a season (27) and career (51) as well as the all-time slugging percentage in MW games at .893. Selected by Toronto in the 12th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in 2004, Nielsen played in the Blue Jays' minor league system for five years before returning to campus to serve briefly as an assistant coach with the Rebels and then becoming an officer with the Henderson Police Department.

NIELSEN'S CAREER STATS